The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Internal combustion engines combust an air/fuel (A/F) mixture within cylinders to drive pistons that rotatably turn a crankshaft generating drive torque. The drive torque may be transferred to a driveline of a vehicle (e.g., wheels) via a transmission. The drive torque may also be translated (i.e., multiplied) by one of a plurality of gear ratios of the transmission. The transmission may be coupled to the crankshaft via a torque converter (e.g., a fluid coupling). The transmission includes a plurality of components such as solenoid valves, clutches, and one or more planetary gearsets.
The solenoid valves may each include a solenoid and a valve. More specifically, the solenoid may convert electrical energy (e.g., current from a controller) into mechanical energy that opens or closes the valve mechanically. The transmission may also include servos that actuate one or more of the clutches. The clutches may engage one or more gears of the planetary gearsets.
The transmission also includes hydraulic fluid that controls one or more of the components. The hydraulic fluid is typically supplied to the transmission from a main pump. The transmission may include pressure control solenoids, shift solenoids, and/or flow control solenoids. The pressure control solenoids and the flow control solenoids control the pressure and flow of hydraulic fluid in the transmission, respectively. The shift solenoids, on the other hand, control components of the transmission (servos, clutches, gears, etc.) based on a pressure of the hydraulic fluid.